GRAND HOTELPOINT CLEAR, ALABAMA

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By John CompaniottePhoto credit: Michael Clemmer for the golf photos.

Art Meripol for all hotel and property photos.

First opened in 1847, the Grand Hotel at Point Clear, Alabama hasbeen considered the Queen of Southern Resorts for generations. Knownfor exceptional service, Southern charm, majestic oaks and beautiful sun-sets over Mobile Bay, the 405-room resort offers everything from golf, tofishing, to spa treatments on property. During a recent three-year reno-vation, the resort's guest rooms, meeting space, restaurants, spa, golf, pier,pools and grounds were transformed. e resort’s Azalea golf course re-opens in late 2019 after a major renovation.

Autograph Collection Hotels, part of Marriott International, Inc., to-gether with the Resort Collection on Alabama's Robert Trent Jones GolfTrail in 2018 announced the rebranding of the Grand Hotel Golf Resort& Spa. e Grand Hotel joins the brand’s diverse portfolio of more than150 one-of-a-kind hotels that champion visionary owners, thoughtful de-sign and craft.

Part of the Resort Collection on Alabama's Robert Trent Jones GolfTrail, the Grand Hotel has been praised by group and leisure publications."With this stunning transformation nearly complete, the historic GrandHotel enters its next chapter with its Autograph Collection distinction,"said Tony Davis, president of the RTJ Resort Collection. "We are debutinga modern sanctuary of golf, tennis, beach, pools and spa filled with gra-cious Southern charm and attentiveness. Here, as it has for over 170 years,the Grand Life beckons with hospitality and warmth flowing through theresort in cheerful abundance," said Davis. "With our Historic Hotels ofAmerica designation, the affiliation with the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trailand Autograph Collection signature, the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spawill appeal even more to group and leisure guests.”

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gredients from the estate garden each af-ternoon after the cannon firing and be-fore dinner. e Grand was recognizedfor having one of the best gardens byHistoric Hotels of America in 2018.

e 20,000-square-foot European-style spa opened in 2002 and was reno-vated in 2018.

ere are a wide range of treatmentsfrom massages, facials, manicures, pedi-cures and body treatments for womenand men. Women's and Men's quietrooms feature whirlpools, steam and drysauna. ere are hair salon andmani/pedi stations overlooking the re-sort's marina and Mobile Bay.

e Lakewood Club courses are partof Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf

e Grand's transformation blendsthe best of the resort's Southern charmand traditions with the modern ameni-ties and technology today's guests de-mand. e resort's iconic fireplace lobby,live oaks and Bucky's Lounge remainwhile new cabanas, splash pad andrestaurants were added. e design mix

honors the Grand's history, traditionsand sense of place.

Designed as an all-in-one destination,the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa fea-tures a full-service spa, two RTJ Golf Trailcourses, seven restaurants and lounges, twobeaches, multiple pools and 37,000 squarefeet of renovated meeting space on 550

lush acres along Mobile Bay near Fairhope,Alabama. e Grand's cannon firing eachafternoon honors the resort's history andsalutes past and present military.

e renovated pier with fishing poleswas completed in 2018. e expandedGrand estate gardens with 72 edibles wascompleted in 2018. Chefs pick fresh in-

Trail. e renovated 18-hole, 7,104 yard,72-par Dogwood course reopened inJuly 2018. e Azalea course will be ren-ovated during 2019 and should remainaround 7,432 yards for the 18-hole, 72-par course.

Renovations to the feature, adult andindoor pools were completed in 2018.ese provide 500,000 gallons of funand one of the most spectacular swim-ming sites on the Gulf Coast. ere areprivate cabanas at the adult pool withcomfortable seating, fans, televisions, re-frigerators and pool butler service. Otherfeatures include a waterfall, twowhirlpools and slide, zero entry pool foryoung children, plus a new splash pad.Pool butlers offer drink and food serviceduring peak season. e Jubilee PoolsideGrill is open seasonally. An indoor poolis adjacent to the spa and fitness center.

ere are also private beaches with beachchairs, sailboats, kayaks, water bikes, vol-leyball and more. Bon fires are available.Beachside cabanas are available with in-dividual or group seating.

e Marina has 37 slips for sailboats,fishing boats and yachts. Boat chartersavailable for guests. is is the homeport of the Joshua, a majestic sailingschooner.

e history of the hotel has involvedit in every aspect of U.S. history of thepast 150+ years, including wars, fires,and hurricanes. F.H. Chamberlain builtthe hotel in 1847. It was a two-storybuilding with 40 rooms. A separatebuilding housed the dining room andkitchen. A third building housed a barcalled "e Texas." In 1864, a portion ofthe hotel became a Confederate hospitalduring the Civil War.

Captain H.C. Baldwin bought thehotel in the 1870s for $75,000. It was300 feet long and had 60 suites. In 1893,a hurricane destroyed the dining roomand "e Texas" bar. Both were rebuilt.In 1901, Major James K. Glennon ofMobile bought the hotel. In 1906 and1916, the hotel was severely damaged.Major Glennon was ready to quit, butMrs. Glennon intervened and supervisedrepairs that helped reopen it. In 1939,Mr. E.A. Roberts bought the hotel and25 additional parcels of land. In 1940,the old buildings were renovated and themain building was constructed. eArmy Air Corps used the hotel as a train-ing base during World War II. None ofthe soldiers wore combat boots in thehotel in order to protect the hardwoodfloors.

After WWII, Robert's company, the

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Waterman SteamshipCompany, built a ma-rina, two tennis courts,an 18-hole golf courseand a swimming pool.Ten cottages were addedin the 1950s. During the1960s, the hotel grew to172 guest rooms. In1967, a second 9-holegolf course and the first conference centerwere added.

In 1981, the Marriott Corporationbought e Grand Hotel and added theNorth Bay House and the Marina Build-ing, bringing total guest rooms to 306.Marriott added an additional 9-hole golfcourse for a total of 36 holes. Major ren-ovations to the hotel were completed in2003, including a new spa, pool and ad-ditional guest rooms. Hurricane Katrinaclosed the Grand in August 2005. Halfthe resort reopened on April 1, 2006 and

the remainder reopened November 1,2006. A new aquatics and tennis centeropened at the resort in July 2009.

With so many activities, a guest issure to work up quite an appetite. Theproperty offers multiple dining options.Local Market offers coffees and pastriesto light lunch and dinner options. TheGrand Hall offers breakfast and SundayBunch. Bayside Grill provides mouth-watering local fare with ingredientssourced from local farms and the EstateGarden. Bucky's Lounge celebrates the

iconic Bucky Miller, atime-honored associateof the Grand Hotel. Ju-bilee Poolside Grill is acasual poolside restau-rant. Enjoy bay breezesin this open-air environ-ment. Plenty of menuoptions for children inthis family-friendly

restaurant. Southern Roots is an up-scale dining restaurant that offers ex-ceptional service in an atmosphereinfused with flavor and fun. The 1847Bar celebrates the Grand's history oneglass at a time. Located next to South-ern Roots, 1847 offers signature winesby the glass, local libations and house-made elixirs.

For more information: (251) 928-9201. www.grand1847.com. Facebook:eGrandHotel; Twitter: eGrandHo-tel; Instagram: _grandhotel_